Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Abstract

Reviewed by: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett Kate Quealy-Gainer Bennett, Jenn Alex, Approximately. Simon Pulse, 2017 [400p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-7877-9 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-7879-3 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-12 Mink and Alex share a love of classic movies via an online group for film fanatics. Seventeen-year-old Bailey and eighteen-year-old Porter share a deep animosity for each other as coworkers at the Cove, a kitschy museum in Coronado Cove, California. Unbeknownst to them, Mink is Bailey, Alex is Porter, and the makings of romantic comedy are put into play. Certain revelations move Bailey and Porter’s enmity to sardonic banter to flirtatious teasing and eventfully to some hot sex in the back of surfer boy Porter’s van; however, they both feel somewhat horrible about “cheating” on their online maybe-more-than-platonic friends. A sexier, modern version of You’ve Got Mail and The Shop Around the Corner, this will hit romcom fans right in the sweet spot, and the chemistry between Porter/Alex and Mink/Bailey manages both a spirited charm and a lusty spark. Narrator Bailey is bold, witty, and humorously self-deprecating, while Porter is the bro with the heart of gold. Two subplots and a few too many tropes of the romance genre threaten to send the story off the rails, but the focus mostly stays on Bailey and Porter, who carry the day like true stars—the heroes and heroines of their beloved movies would be proud. Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois